Tony Lazzeri

A hero to Italian fans in the Bronx, Tony Lazzeri was a power-hitting second baseman who starred on six Yankee pennant-winning teams. He was the first Yankee star to come out of San Francisco, paving the way for Joe DiMaggio who came along a decade later. Lazzeri was known for his clutch hitting which earned him the nickname "Poosh 'Em Up." He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Tony Lazzeri All Time Teammates:

Tony Lazzeri Teammates

Best Season: 1929Lazzeri never led his league in any other offensive category than strikeouts, but in 1929 he had a great season. He hit .354 with 101 runs scored, 193 hits, 37 doubles, 11 triples, 18 homers, 106 RBI and a .561 slugging mark. He had a .429 OBP as well. Lazzeri knocked in at least 100 runs seven times, and he walked more than he struck out.

FeatsLazzeri became the first player to hit two grand slams in one game, on May 24, 1936. He drove in a record-setting 11 runs in the game.

Batting Feats

June 8, 1927: 3 HR...

June 3, 1932: Cycle...

October 2, 1932: 2 HR in WS Game...

May 24, 1936: 2 Grand Slams...

May 24, 1936: 11 RBI...

TransactionsDecember 10, 1938: Released by the Chicago Cubs;

December 10, 1938: Signed as a Free Agent with the Brooklyn Dodgers;

May 13, 1939: Released by the Brooklyn Dodgers. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.);

May 14, 1939: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Giants;

June 7, 1939: Released by the New York Giants.

DiedAugust 6, 1946, San Francisco, CA

Tony Lazzeri Obituary

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 7 (UPI) –

Tony Lazzeri, second baseman for the New York Yankees baseball team in the days of Babe Ruth, was found dead in his home at near-by Millbrae today. His age was 42. The body was found by his wife, Mrs. Maye Lazzeri, who had been out of the city on vacation.

The one-time baseball great apparently had struck his head against a banister in slipping or falling in the house, family friends said. A coroner’s officer declared Lazzeri had been dead approximately thirty-six hours when the body was discovered at 4 P.M. (PST) today and said death might have been due to a heart attack.

Anthony Michael (Push-‘em-Up-Tony) Lazzeri, soft-spoken native of the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco, was one of the most popular men in modern baseball. His cool disposition and slugging prowess earned him the reputation of being regarded as one of the game’s finest “clutch” hitters.

He became a star after going to the Yanks in 1926 and played a major role in helping the club to win the pennant that year. While he won fame for his timely hitting, he was noted also for failing to deliver when the chips were down in the world series game between the Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was fanned in the seventh inning with the bases full by Grover Cleveland Alexander in one of baseball’s most dramatic moments.

Tony was born on Dec. 6, 1903. His father wanted him to stick to a boiler factory job but the future baseball idol wanted to play baseball. He played it so well that he became known as a baseball player’s ball player. He was sure death to ground balls and was never known to give an opposing player the “spikes.”

Playing against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 24, 1936, Lazzeri became the first major leaguer ever to hit two home runs with the bases full in one game. In the same contest he batted in eleven runs for a new American League record.

That feat enabled him to set two other major league records, with six home runs in three consecutive contests and seven homers in four successive games. He also tied the big league standard of five homers in two consecutive games and equaled the modern mark of four long hits in one contest.

Tony almost quit baseball in 1923, when he became discouraged because he was shifted back and fourth between t he Salt Lake City club and other minor-league teams. He was optioned to the Eastern League, decided to quit and advised the Salt Lake City club of his decision. He stayed out of the game for about ten days and then found a place with the Lincoln team in the Western League.

The 1925 season found him in the Pacific Coast League hitting .355 for Salt Lake City, his string including sixty homers, which pounded in 222 runs. It was in the autumn that the Yankees bought him for $75,000.

He retired from baseball after his release as a manager of the Wilkes-Barre Eastern League club in 1943. He had closed his major league career in 1939 after serving briefly with the Chicago Cubs and the Brooklyn Dodgers. When he left the Yankees at the finish of the 1937 season, his major-league batting mark was .292.

Lazzeri retired to business life two years ago. He became a partner in a San Francisco tavern.